Case Number 01833

BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE

The Charge

Take some time to smell the flowers...

Opening Statement

Butterflies Are Free was one of Goldie Hawn's first cinematic starring
roles. She plays Jill, a free spirit in San Francisco's Haight-Asbury who falls
for the blind boy next door, Don (Eddie Albert). This was an excellent showcase
for Hawn's trademark giggly charisma, and brought to the screen a hit play by
writer Leonard Gershe. Most notably, it earned Eileen Heckart (The First
Wives' Club, TV's Murder One) a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her
role as Don's overprotective mother, Mrs. Baker.

Facts of the Case

Don (Albert) is blind, young, and handsome. He's also rebellious. Against his
mother's wishes, he moves out on his own. His mother tenuously agreed to let him
live on his own for three months, then she could come by for a visit.

One fateful day, Eddie meets his neighbor, Jill (Hawn), and his good looks
immediately catch her eye. They discover that all that separates their
apartments is a door. Eddie picks the lock, and voila -- they're housemates.
Overnight, they become much more -- but is Hawn ready for a relationship, and is
Mrs. Baker ready to grant her son his much needed independence?

The Evidence

Butterflies Are Free has that cheesy la-di-da '70s feeling that
doesn't age well -- the goofy hairstyles, the dialogue infused with
"groovy," and the fresh-scrubbed pre-Vietnam-escalation pre-'80s-greed
pre-oil-crisis feel. However, the sensitive cinematography -- featuring good
depth of shadows, lovely skin tones, more emotionally reflective hand-held
camera work -- makes it more enjoyable. The true core of the story -- letting go
of loved ones, both new and old -- shines clearly thanks to the sensitive
direction.

Jill and Don take an instant liking to each other. Jill is not horrified by
his blindness, and neither is Don, who deals with his handicap with a shrug and
heavy dose of humor. However, Don is naïve; Jill freely admits she's
already divorced at 19 and that she used to be a hippie, but Don thinks she's
given up free love. Has she?

Mrs. Baker doesn't think so. Heckart, as Baker, unexpectedly storms into
Don's apartment like a tornado, approaching every flaw of Don's apartment with a
zinger or guilt-inducing remark. She is the one thing that can crack through
Don's calm façade, and she even gets to Jill, taking Jill out for lunch and
trying to dissuade her from getting involved with Don. The problem is, Jill may
not get involved with Don. She may leave him high and dry -- after all, this is
the age of sexual hedonism. It is this conflict that brings about believable,
sympathetic actions from Mrs. Baker, played beautifully by Heckart. Her
character is certainly the most moving of the film, and the most pivotal,
providing a real and touching climax to the film.

I won't give the big plot twist away. Suffice it to say that the film's
simple plot was well-executed, and the acting quite good. Even Hawn's bubbly
outlook is tempered by genuine emotion. I would have liked Albert to be less
stiff, but surrounded by such good people, even his rote line readings became
tolerable.

The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is really only passable. Luckily,
there was no buzzing of darks, the color transfer was nice and even. However,
grain was present, so much so in one indoors scene that it really interfered
with my enjoyment of the film. I'm guessing it was on the original print and
there may not have been much Columbia could have done with it. Also included on
this disc is a full screen version of the film.

The Dolby Digital sound was, again, just okay. Background noises, such as
rain falling outside sounded tacked on, not carefully balanced with dialogue.
Dialogue itself sounded tinny, as if it were coming from a shallow cave; again,
not sure if this is due to being an old print, but the sound could have been
richer and crisper.

Nonetheless, due to the simplicity of the story (there are only four or five
locales total), these things did not completely interfere with my enjoyment of
the film. I would have liked more extras, of course -- bonus trailers and the
ever-present "interactive menu" just don't cut it.

A word about the trailers, however. The reason any cinephile loves these
things is because they are pieces of history, somewhat obscure looks into the
cinematic past. The trailers featured here are Cactus Flower,
Groundhog Day, and Seems Like Old Times. The first, Flower,
was Hawn's first major starring role, with none other than Ingrid Bergman and
Walter Matthau as her co-stars. It's a real treat seeing this trailer with all
those enormous talents on screen together, and most importantly, to see Hawn at
the very beginning of her career. Old Times is a Neil Simon flick that
seemed to fade into the past, but again, it's interesting getting a glimpse of
it and noting that, actually, it looks pretty damn funny. So good choice of
bonus trailers.

Closing Statement

Butterflies Are Free could have used a better transfer, but it's not
awful -- just a nuisance. The acting, writing, and good direction make this a
good watch, and the bonus trailers are good for a laugh and add insight into the
careers of one of our most talented funny girls, Goldie Hawn.

The Verdict

Butterflies Are Free, but DVDs aren't -- next time, could Columbia
give us our money's worth with more extras and a more decent transfer? Sentenced
to one week begging with hippies at the Haight!